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AssigneeEvoqua Water Technologies LLC
InventorJoseph Zuback
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A method of purifying impure water contaminated with a filterable impurity and a dissolved impurity, such as sea-water, comprising the steps of: providing impure water to a primary microfiltration or ultrafiltration unit to remove the filterable impurity and produce impure filtered water contaminated with a dissolved impurity; providing the impure filtered water contaminated with a dissolved impurity to a reverse osmosis unit to produce a potable water stream and a residual reverse osmosis stream; and treating the residual reverse osmosis stream prior to reuse. The treatment may be in the form of passing through a secondary filter (such as another microfiltration or ultrafiltration membrane or a cartridge filter, and the subsequently treated reverse osmosis reject may be used to backwash the microfiltration or ultrafiltration unit.
A method of purifying impure water contaminated with a filterable impurity and a dissolved impurity, the method comprising the steps of:
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the impure water is sea water.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the insoluble impurities include those typically found in sea water.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the insoluble impurities include organic matter, inorganic matter, particulate matter, biological matter and non-biological matter.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the dissolved impurities include dissolved, soluble or solubilized organic or inorganic matter.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the dissolved impurities include sodium ions and chloride ions.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the residual reverse osmosis stream is treated prior to being reused by one or more of chemical treatment, radiation treatment or physical treatment.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reverse osmosis stream is treated by heat, electropreciptiation, magnetic treatments or combinations thereof.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the residual reverse osmosis feed is used to backwash the primary microfiltration or ultrafiltration unit and is subject to ultrafiltration or microfiltration by a secondary ultrafiltration or microfiltration unit prior to said backwashing.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the secondary filter comprises multiple stages of filtration.
A method of purifying impure water, the method comprising the steps of providing a primary microfiltration unit, a reverse osmosis unit, said reverse osmosis in downstream fluid communication from said primary microfiltration or ultrafiltration unit, and a controllable fluid pathway for directing residual reverse osmosis feed to backwash said microfiltration unit and wherein the residual reverse osmosis feed is further subjected to ultrafiltration or microfiltration by a secondary ultrafiltration or microfiltration unit prior to a step of backwashing the primary ultrafiltration or microfiltration membrane.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reverse osmosis reject used to backwash the filter has a suspended solids content of less than a predetermined quantity.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reverse osmosis reject used to backwash the filter has a suspended solids content sufficient to allow it to be returned to the impure water source
Apparatus for purifying impure water contaminated with a filterable impurity and a dissolved impurity, the apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.